College students around the country know that spring break is a time to let loose – to indulge in your inhibitions and partake in rampant debauchery by way of non-stop partying. But spending a couple days face down at the bar, though enticing, can get real expensive, real fast. So, unless you plan on enjoying the rest of your precious spring break working extra to pay off your drinking tab, it may be wise to find a cheaper way to party. There are more than a few ways to spend your time (and not your money) in the pursuit of fun this spring break. And we’ll let you in on a couple of them.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (3109 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, (954) 564-4521): What’s spring break without a trip to the beach? Fort Lauderdale Beach may not be the spring break Mecca that it once was, but there’s still plenty to do and see without spending a fortune. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park sits right between the Intracoastal Waterway and Fort Lauderdale Beach on the corner of Sunrise Blvd. and A1A. Admission to the park is cheap – less than $2 – and best of all you’ll be able to park at the, er… park, and walk through the access tunnel that leads to the center of the beach. Compare that to the hourly parking or overpriced garages that sit along A1A and the admission has already paid for itself. If you need a break from sunbathing and people-watching, for just $5 more you could rent a canoe at the park as well. Just across Sunrise to the south is an area teaming with bars and lunch spots, but since you’re on a budget you could just bring your own and eat it at the park, maybe right after a free tour of O.G. Lauderdalian, Hugh Taylor Birch’s historic house.
The Rapids Water Park (6566 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, (561) 842-8756): So do you like the water, sun and hot bodies found at the beach, but can’t stand the sand? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. That’s why there’s the Rapids – probably the funnest way to spend a day getting wet that doesn’t involve something your mom would disapprove of. The Rapids is cheap during the week, but only if you take a can of Pepsi with a half-off coupon on the back. This makes the price $16 per person. There’s another bonus to going during the week as well – while college students are off for spring break, public school students are not, so you won’t have to fight all the little kids to ride the water flume.
Museum of Discovery and Science (401 SW 2nd St., Fort Lauderdale, (954) 467-6637): For only $15 (less with a student ID), you can spend a day at the museum taking in an IMAX show. Currently the museum has a handful of special exhibits, like MarsQuest, which details NASA exploration of the Red Planet, and Runways to Rockets, an exploration of the world of flight.
Frisbee Golf at Tradewinds Park (3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek, (954) 968-3880): Frisbee Golf is a lot like regular golf – if regular golf was cheap, easy to learn and practiced almost exclusively by hippies. The course at Tradewinds is huge – 600 yards to be exact – and free to play with admission to the park, which is only one dollar. The Frisbees are cheap as well – if you buy them from a hippie. They’re only a buck each and will last you a while unless you toss one in the water on accident. You’ll need at least a driver and a putter to play, so that’s two more bucks, but it’s well worth it. If disc golf isn’t your thing, there are always the nature trails, batting cages or Butterfly World to occupy your time.
